Instead of starting their school day at Hockinson High School, three students begin their day in Woodland, nearly 40 minutes away. HHS students Jeffrey Tracy, Noah Tadema, and Brian Webster are among the first class to sign up for Cascadia Technical Academy's (CTA) Pre-Electrical program, housed at Woodland Middle School. All three students like learning in a hands-on environment and acquiring skills that will prepare them for an apprenticeship in an in-demand career field.
Hockinson School District belongs to CTA, which is a county-wide cooperative career skills center, that offers 18 career-prep programs. For the past two years, HSD Superintendent Steve Marshall has served as the Chair of the CTA's Superintendents' Advisory Council. Marshall is excited about the programs the academy has recently added. "Last year, Cascadia [Technical Academy] made some very innovative additions to respond to student interest and industry need," said Marshall. "We've added satellite programs in early education, maritime, pre-electrical and forest management around the county. Cascadia also added barbering on site this year," said Marshall.
